Page 19 of Fighting For Light
Kai
TWO MONTHS LATER
My R7 hums asI speed down the open road. We’ve been on a break, and I’ll head back tomorrow. Liam and I have been hanging out with Mom. Emerson has popped in periodically, but everything has been quiet. We haven’t dropped our guard, but if we’re lucky, they just sent someone to scare Mom to remind all of us that my father is still in our lives, and that was the end of it.
Surprisingly, Liam is still here and hasn’t taken off to the next insane rock formation to climb or giant waves to surf. It makes me think the last time really got to him.
It’s been almost two months since I’ve seen Cordi, and she went radio silent on me. That kiss has been pinballing in my head ever since. My whole body came alive when I touched her. It felt like I was flying, and I wasn’t even on two wheels. It doesn’t matter if her lips are all I’ll ever get from her.
Maybe Liam is right. I should let go for once and see where I land. But I keep coming back to the same conclusion, which is dragging her into a fight she has nothing to do with. Reece would likely kill me before my father’s people do. I wouldn’t hold it against Reece, either. I can’t taint her; I’m not a good man. I’ve done things that would kill me to tell her, and I don’t want to put her in that position, ever.
As much as I would like to take a risk like that with Cordi, it’s one I can’t stand confidently in. If I take a chance on my bike, it’s me and the bike. One of us fails, and the consequences are the consequences, plain and simple. When it comes to my brothers and me, we make a choice, and if one of us goes down, there are still two of us left. Mom won’t be left on her own. We have backup plans and contingencies for it. That isn’t the case with my best friend. I don’t want to make it a possibility, either. I have to keep her safe, even if it’s from myself.
I roll up the driveway to my house, and it’s quiet. Exactly how I left it four days ago. I need to get laundry done and my trailer prepped for the next trip. We will all be meeting in New Mexico in a couple of days. We’ve had a two-month break since we finished up in Vegas, and it’s time to get back to it.
Flipping off my bike, I grab my handgun from my waistband and walk to the side door. After typing in the code to the house, it beeps, and I open it calmly. If anyone is in here, they will think that I’m not paying attention. I flipped off the security on my phone. I don’t have a keypad, and it’s a silent alarm. If no one thinks there’s an alarm, then no one will know I’m coming.
I drop my bag on the bench in the small hall that opens into a large kitchen, keeping my senses open and my peripheral wide. Taking a deep breath, I walk into the kitchen. Clear. Then into the open concept living room, and still nothing. I check the office and the empty room I can’t find a use for.Clear.
Quietly climbing the stairs, I lift my gun, checking the corners. I finish going through the other three bedrooms, closets, and bathrooms, and even check the attic. Everything is good. I let out a breath and pull my phone up, flipping the security for home on, and finish getting unpacked and repacked.
After making dinner, I sit on the couch and take a swig of beer. My last load is in the washer, and the bikes are loaded. I’ll stop somewhere in New Mexico for food. I don’t get super nervous about competitions much anymore. But this time, I am nervous for one thing, and it has nothing to do with bikes.
12
Cordelia
We’re in New Mexicoand just got settled. The heat of the day is starting to dissipate as the sun sets, and I’ve been wracking my brain for how to tell Rafe I’m pregnant with his child. Dad is outside, so he doesn’t see me pacing like a crazy woman. Kai still isn’t here yet, but I’m hoping he will be soon because I need my best friend right now.
Do I blurt it out? Do I work him up to it? What if he doesn’t want me? What if he doesn’t want the baby? Will he want to get married? I don’t think I want to marry him. He was nice in the moment when Kai pushed me away and shattered my heart into a thousand pieces, but that doesn’t mean he’s theone.
I already know who he is, and I’ll never be able to tell him.
Rafe is already here and settled. I saw him hanging out with Deacon earlier. I need to rip the band-aid off. There’s no way around this.Buck up and do it, Cordi. You can do this.
I don’t know the first thing about being a mother, but I will find out. I’ve been processing this for the past two months. I don’t want to tell my mom right now, but I’ll have to tell Dad before I start showing. Time is not on my side.
The first step is telling Rafe.
I take a deep breath and open the door, heading straight for Rafe’s trailer.
My knuckles rap against the door a few times, and I step down the stairs to wait as my stomach churns.
He opens the door, and that smile I thought was cute two months ago feels slimy now.
“Hey Cordelia, how are ya? It’s been a minute,” he says.
“Hey, I was wondering if I could come in,” I say hesitantly.
His eyebrows shoot up in interest, and I do my best to hold back the vomit crawling up my throat.
“Yeah, totally. Come on in,” he says with that charming smile.
I smile the best I can and follow him inside.
“Take a seat. So what have you been up to?” he asks.
We sit on the couch, and he leans forward with his arm on the top of the cushion. He’s getting warmed up.
